Bet On The League Cup? Better Bring A Beanstalk

It has become apparent that someone somewhere is selling magic beans again because even if those that have bet on the League Cup can’t see the beanstalk they know for sure there’s been plenty of giant killing going on this week. Sure, we’ve not seen any golden eggs yet but plenty of big names from the English Premier League have gone home with some far for ordinary poultry product on their faces.

League Cup Round Up

• Chelsea Out
• Man Utd Out
• Arsenal Out
• Leicester Out

Jack and the Beanstalk is a lovely old children’s tale that encourages young people to take fiscally unsound risks, commit brazen acts of burglary & theft, do untold environmental damage and then murder the owner of the property they’ve just stolen or hacked down. However this week has seen more giant slaying in the League cup than even Jack would have predicted with an axe in his sticky mitts, as big name after big name went down to far smaller fry.

To set the tone lets have a look at Everton vs Norwich which for those who like to bet on the League Cup is an easy one to call. Everton right? Of course. However on the night that game just didn’t go to plan with Norwich taking the lead and then, when the Toffees equalized, hanging on till full time. More surprisingly extra time didn’t wear them down and the penalty shootout that resulted was won by Everton unconvincingly 4-3.

Not that it was the most shocking penalty shootout of the night for those that like to bet on sports in the UK, over at the Hull-Leicester match where you’d expect the team currently sitting fifth in the English Premier League would make short work of the northerners just second in the Championship, things went horribly awry for the Foxes. Not only did the game end nil-nil, but when in extra time Mahrez put the big boys ahead Hull had the nerve to equalize six minutes later, then on penalties knock Leicester out 5-4.

But even that paled into insignificance as the cup holders, Chelsea were knocked into touch by Stoke having only just saved themselves from getting beaten in normal time by a 90th minute goal from Remy that only sentenced them to a joyless extra time and a penalty shootout that they then lost, and if it was a bit of a surprise for those of us with a bet on the League Cup it was a nightmare come true for Mourinho whose job is probably now under just a bit more pressure than the golden one expected so early in a season.

Numerous Giants Get Slain In The League Cup

On any other night Chelski getting beaten by Stoke would be the headline, but the true failure of the evening was left for Arsenal to perform, and by god what a performance. Not only had Wenger made nine changes from the team that won on Saturday (if it ain’t broke tinker with it, right Arson?) but then Theo Walcott and Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain were both taken off injured in the first twenty minutes leaving the gunners shocked, confused and distinctly unorganized.

Sheffield Wednesday took the lead just before the half hour, adding another before half time and then sealed the deal by Hutchinson scoring another just six minutes into the second half, and yet again the giants had fallen – although as those that bet on the League Cup each year will know, in Arsenal’s case this is more true to form than an aberration, they’ve not won a League Cup since the early 90s, and seem somehow cursed not to do so again.

With fans still reeling from Leicester, Chelsea and Arsenal all having been turfed from the competition the other four fixtures were tricky to call and a bet on the League Cup now became quite the exercise in optimism, after all there are no UK gambling laws prohibiting the backing of minnows against sharks. The question became which minnows to back. Bournemouth against Liverpool? Palace over City? Villa over Southampton? Decisions decisions…..

Of course on the actual night it wasn’t quite the massacre that Tuesday had been, but there was definitely a sting in the tail for anyone who had casually bet on the League Cup without feeling the zeitgeist of the tournament this year. For a start, just like neighbors Everton, Liverpool scraped through, with most of their strike force injured the 1-0 win was all they could really expect and Klopp will be glad of the result, if not how the team achieved it. Bournemouth shouldn’t have been a problem.

A Bet On The League Cup Gets Tougher To Make

Southampton played true to form and a bet on the League Cup was never so obvious as Aston Villa failing to win this one. Villa sit bottom of the league with just four points from ten games and this wasn’t likely to be the stage on which they began to drag themselves out of their malaise. 2-1 to the saints in normal time. Now Manchester City currently sit top of the Premier League so you’d expect them to beat Crystal Palace easily, wouldn’t you?

Well they did. A bravura performance saw them nail the south Londoners to a cake stand with an unstoppable slow avalanche of goals that even saw Delaney’s 89th minute consolation goal answered by an injury time stinger from Garcia Alonso. 5-1 to City, the giant safe from Jack for now, but for their rivals at United the evening was about to get very, very grim indeed as they managed to disappoint everyone who’d thought their record made them an easy team to back if you bet on the League Cup.

Middlesbrough aren’t in the Premier League, sitting fourth in the Championship a table below, and haven’t been since 2008-09, but that didn’t show as they stayed well organized and cohesive to hold Manchester United to a nil-nil draw, a nil-nil period of extra time and then stunned just about everyone by winning the penalty shootout 3-1 as Rooney, Carrick and Young (all England caps) missed their spot kicks to give the Boro the win and a slot in the final eight, a dead giant at their feet.

If you want to bet on the League Cup now Man City are the safe bet with Bet365 Sportsbook giving them a shoo-in 10/11, although Liverpool might be worth the 5/1 shot, Everton the 8/1 odds and you can take your pick if you’re willing to chance 8/1 on Stoke or 15/2 on Southampton. Middlesbrough are garnering 20/1 with Wednesday & Hull getting 40/1 which is a little unfair for Sheffield given their performance against Arsenal. The question is should you be gambling news of more giant slaying is to come or just take the safe bets in the final eight? I’d tell you if I knew, but I don’t know Jack……and don’t own a beanstalk.